Former Oregon defensive lineman Brandon Bair (6-foot-6, 276) likely improved his draft stock during Monday’s workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.
Bair turned in an unofficial time in the 40-yard dash 4.82 seconds and also performed well in several other events.
Bair ranked seventh among the 57 defensive linemen at the combine in the 3-cone drill (7.07 seconds), 10th in the 20-yard shuttle (4.37) and 13th in the broad jump (9’6”).
NFLDraftScout.com ranks Bair as the18th best defensive end prospect in the draft and projects him to be a sixth-round pick. But that was before the combine.
Bair, 26, was perceived to lack the speed and quickness to play defensive end in the 4-3 defense. With his strong performance in the 40, some 4-3 teams might now consider him a good strong-side defensive end prospect.
However, his best bet could be develop as a 3-4 defensive end, a position that requires more bulk and less speed than a typical 4-3 defensive end.
“This kid here is what I call the ideal developmental 5-technique,” NFL Network’s lead draft analyst Mike Mayock said during the broadcast of the combine. “Brandon Bair played inside at defensive tackle (at Oregon). He’s almost 6-foot-6. He weighs 276, and look at him, he’s lean. You can throw 20 pounds on him in the next year and all of the sudden you have a 300-pound, 5-technique, which is the defensive end in the 3-4.”
“He plays like that,” Sapp said. “Big and strong.”
Wisconsin’s J.J. Watt ran a 4.84 at 6-foot-5 290 pounds and got 34 reps in the bench press and had a 37” vertical.
Mayock called Watt the prototype 3-4 defensive end.
NFLDraftScout.com ranks Watt as the fifth-best defensive end in the draft and projects him to be a first-round pick.
If Bair could add some bulk and maintain his athleticism, as Mayock suggests, he could develop into a top prospect.
“One of those 3-4 teams is going to scoop him up in the third or fourth round, put 20 pounds on him and all of the sudden (you have a) 6-6, 300-pound, 5-technique sitting face up on that offensive tackle,” Mayock added.